The factory Motorcraft battery is an exceptional battery. Current production of Motorcraft batteries are of much higher quality than they were just a few years ago. The warranty is three years full replacement and pro rated from there for some unbelievable long time (a total of something like seven or eight years). If you buy the battery over the counter the warranty will not include labor. If you have a dealer install it, it will include labor. If I remember correctly it will also include towing if the battery fails. Expect to pay about $80.00 over the counter when on sale and about $85.00 to $90.00 when not on sale.
My personal preference for a battery is a brand called DayStarter. It is a much smaller company. Their battery is much better built than more common batteries. The internal plates have much more lead and are much stronger. Their warranty is 5 years free replacement (no pro rate). These things last a very long time. Should it fail during the warranty period (very uncommon) the free replacemnt starts the warranty over again. The warranty does not include labor. They are often priced at $15.00 to $20.00 above a factory battery. It may be hard to find a source since they are uncomon. Try looking them up with a Google search and email them to find a local distributor.
Sears sells a battery that is made by the same vendor as the Motorcraft, but on our cars it is only available in their very expensive "International" series. You will pay between $100.00 to $120.00 for a battery that has a lesser warranty than the Motorcraft (18 months free replacement, I don't remember the pro rate). It isn't a bad battery though and you can find a Sears store most anywhere.
I haven't had experience with the batteries from Pep Boys, Kragan, AutoZone, Walmart, etc. Most of them are not made by the same vendor as the Motorcraft. The other major vendor has had a lot of quality issues in the past few years. Sears tried switching vendors a few years ago and switched back because their warranty costs went through the roof.
Others may provide their experience with these usually less expensive batteries.
